At Great Baddow High School, we believe that if a student is to thrive and be successful, they must first feel safe and secure. We take our safeguarding responsibilities very seriously, and are proud of the care and support we offer all members of our community.

‘A culture of safeguarding is rooted in the school ethos.’ – Ofsted 2022

The Safeguarding Team works closely with Pastoral staff, ‘in house’ services and with external agencies to ensure specialist support is available to young people and their parents / guardians.

Read more about our commitment to eSafety and how we support students and our staff to stay safe online here. 

Who are the Safeguarding Team?

The school has a dedicated email address for parents and students to email any concerns they have in relation to harmful sexual behaviours or other safeguarding matters. The emails will be responded to within 48 hours by a member of the school’s Safeguarding Team. The email account does not replace the methods of communication and support we currently have in place but is designed to provide an additional avenue for raising concerns.

Please also note that this is not a 24-hour helpline and will only be monitored during school operating hours. In the event of an emergency an appropriate adult or the police should be contacted. The support groups listed below may also be of use.

The email address is listen@gbhs.co.uk

In an Emergency

If you are worried about the safety of a child, you should contact the police on 999 or 101, depending on the urgency.

Essex Social Care:

Contact Social Care for urgent and immediate concerns for the safety and welfare of a child or young person, you can contact Essex Social Care. Telephone: 0345 603 7627 (office hours) 0345 606 1212 (out of office hours).

If you have an urgent concern about a child’s mental health, please contact the Crisis Team. Freephone 0800 953 0222 (Monday - Friday Between 0900-1700) 

Or

Call NELFT Mental Health Direct: 0800 995 1000 (Out of Hours / Weekend or Bank Holidays) 

In an emergency if urgent help is required please contact 999.

Links to helpful websites:

Emotional Wellbeing

	Southend, Essex and Thurrock (SET) CAMHS | NELFT NHS Foundation Trust	Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service - Therapeutic support for young people’s mental health
	youngminds.org.uk	Advice and information on Child & Adolescent Mental Health
	papyrus-uk.org	Advice and support with suicide prevention
	www.kooth.com	Young Person’s Advice, online counselling
	www.childline.org.uk	Expert advice and guidance
	www.calmharm.co.uk	App to support students who are self harming or struggling with anxiety
	https://www.annafreud.org/on-my-mind/self-care/	Strategies for self care and wellbeing
	www.togetherall.com	A safe community to support mental health for students aged 16+

Family Support

	https://chelmsford.foodbank.org.uk/	Chelmsford Foodbank
	www.essexfamilywellbeing.co.uk	Chelmsford Child and Family Wellbeing Service
	www.familylives.org 0808 800 2222	Advice, guidance and support for families
	https://www.childrenssocietyeast.org.uk	Community support for Children and Families